Synthesis and characterization of bis(4‐cyanato 3,5‐dimethylphenyl) naphthyl methane/epoxy/glass fiber composites

Bis(4‐cyanato 3,5‐dimethylphenyl) naphthylmethane was prepared by treating CNBr with bis(4‐hydroxy 3,5‐dimethylphenyl) naphthylmethane in the presence of triethylamine at −5 to 5°C. The dicyanate was characterized by FT‐IR and NMR techniques. The prepared dicyanate was blended with commercial epoxy resin in different ratios and cured at 120°C for 1 hr, 180°C for 1 hr, and post cured at 220°C for 1 hr using diamino diphenyl methane (DDM) as curing agent. Castings of neat resin and blends were prepared and characterized by FT‐IR technique. The morphology of the blends was evaluated by SEM analysis. The composite laminates were also fabricated from the same composition using glass fiber. The mechanical properties like tensile strength, flexural strength, and fracture toughness were measured as per ASTMD 3039, D 790, and D 5528, respectively. The tensile strength increased with increase in cyanate content (3, 6, and 9%) from 322 to 355 MPa. The fracture toughness values also increased from 0.7671 kJ/m² for neat epoxy resin to 0.8615 kJ/m² for 9% cyanate ester epoxy modified system. The thermal properties were also studied. The 10% weight loss temperature of pure epoxy is 358°C and it increased to 398°C with incorporation of cyanate ester resin. The incorporation of cyanate ester up to 9% loading level does not affect the T_g to a very great extent. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Mechanical properties of poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile)‐modified epoxy resin/glass fiber composites

Poly(styrene‐co‐acylonitrile) was used to modify diglycedyl ether of bisphenol‐A type epoxy resin cured with diamino diphenyl sulfone and the modified epoxy resin was used as the matrix for fiber‐reinforced composites (FRPs) to get improved mechanical properties. E‐glass fiber was used as fiber reinforcement. The tensile, flexural, and impact properties of the blends and composites were investigated. The blends exhibited considerable improvement in mechanical properties. The scanning electron micrographs of the fractured surfaces of the blends and tensile fractured surfaces of the composites were also analyzed. The micrographs showed the influence of morphology on the properties of blends. Results showed that the mechanical properties of glass FRPs increased gradually upon fiber loading. Predictive models were applied using various equations to compare the mechanical data obtained theoretically and experimentally. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of melt‐processable polyimides derived from 1,4‐bis(4‐amino‐2‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)benzene

A series of molecular‐weight‐controlled imide resins end‐capped with phenylethynyl groups were prepared through the polycondensation of a mixture of 1,4‐bis(4‐amino‐2‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)benzene and 1,3‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)benzene with 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride in the presence of 4‐phenylethynylphthalic anhydride as an end‐capping agent. The effects of the resin chemical structures and molecular weights on their melt processability and thermal properties were systematically investigated. The experimental results demonstrated that the molecular‐weight‐controlled imide resins exhibited not only meltability and melt stability but also low melt viscosity and high fluidability at temperatures lower than 280°C. The molecular‐weight‐controlled imide resins could be thermally cured at 371°C to yield thermoset polyimides by polymer chain extension and crosslinking. The neat thermoset polyimides showed excellent thermal stability, with an initial thermal decomposition temperature of more than 500°C and high glass‐transition temperatures greater than 290°C, and good mechanical properties, with flexural strengths in the range of 140.1–163.6 MPa, flexural moduli of 3.0–3.6 GPa, tensile strengths of 60.7–93.8 MPa, and elongations at break as high as 14.7%. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Preparation and characterization of unsaturated poly(ester‐imide) based on 1,4‐bis[2′‐trifluoromethyl‐4′‐(4″‐glycolformate)‐trimellitimidophenoxy]benzene

A novel diimidodialcohol monomer, 1,4‐bis[2′‐trifluoromethyl‐4′‐(4″‐glycolformate)‐ trimellitimidophenoxy]benzene (BGTB), was synthesized and characterized. It was reacted with isophthalic acid, maleic anhydride and propylene glycol to produce a novel unsaturated poly(ester‐imide) (BGTB‐UPEI) with imide and trifluoromethyl groups in the polymer backbone. The BGTB‐UPEI resin was diluted with reactive monomer (styrene) to give a low‐viscous poly(ester‐imide)/styrene (BGTB‐UPEI/St) mixed solution, which was then thermally cured to yield thermosetting BGTB‐UPEI/St composite. The effect of processing parameters such as the curing temperature and curing time, reactive monomer concentration and initiator amount on the curing reaction was systematically investigated. Experimental results indicated that the thermally cured BGTB‐UPEI/St composite exhibited much better thermal, mechanical, electrical insulating properties and chemical resistance than the standard unsaturated polyester/polystyrene composite. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mechanical properties of epoxy‐based hybrid composites containing glass beads and α,ω‐oligo(butylmethacrylate)diol

A novel phase‐separating liquid rubber based on oligo(alkylmethacrylate) in combination with microglass beads was used to toughen an anhydride‐cured epoxy resin. The resulting hybrid composites, containing 5 or 10 wt % of oligomeric liquid rubber and between 10 and 60 wt % glass beads as well as composites containing corresponding amounts of glass beads but no liquid rubber, were characterized mechanically. The experimental data show that modification with glass beads results in increased stiffness and toughness compared to the neat resin but reduces tensile strength. Compared to the glass bead–filled composites, additional modification with methacrylic rubber leads to a further increase in toughness and also to an increase in strength but does not alter stiffness and glass‐transition temperature. This synergistic behavior is explained by the fact that the rubber separates preferably on the surface of the glass bead, forming a core–shell morphology during curing. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1040–1048, 2003     

环氧树脂/ABS复合材料的制备及性能表征

以环氧树脂为基体,苯乙烯-丙烯腈-丁二烯（ABS）树脂为增韧剂,制备了环氧树脂/ABS复合材料,讨论了增韧剂对复合材料的热性能和机械性能的影响。结果表明,ABS的添加可提高复合材料的断裂韧性。扫描电镜结果显示,基体的剪切屈服和橡胶颗粒的微孔洞是ABS增韧环氧树脂的主要增韧机理。     

Preparation and characterization of epoxidate poly(1,2‐butadiene)–toughened diglycidyl ether bisphenol‐A epoxy composites

By the oxidation of liquid poly(1,2‐butadiene) (LPB) with H₂O₂/HCOOH, epoxidate poly(1,2‐butadiene) (ELPB) was obtained as a toughening agent to prepare diglycidyl ether bisphenol‐A (DGEBA) epoxy composites by using V115 polyamide(PA) as a cross‐linking agent. DGEBA, ELPB, and the composites were effectively cured by PA at 100°C for 2 h followed by postcuring at 170°C for 1 h. Thermal gravimetric analysis results in air and nitrogen atmosphere showed that the thermal stability of composites could be improved by the addition of ELPB. Compared with DGEBA/PA, the composites exhibited a decrease in strength at yield but an increase in strain at break with the increase in ELPB amount. The composite with 10% ELPB exhibited both thermal stability and tenacity superior to those of DGEBA/PA and composites with 5 and 20% ELPB, respectively. The improvements in thermal and mechanical properties of composites depended on the formation of Inter Penetrating Networks (IPN) among DGEBA/PA/ELPB and their distributions in the matrix. At an appropriate ELPB amount, the IPN, mostly made of DGEBA/PA/ELPB, may be distributed more evenly in the matrix; less ELPB resulted in the formation of IPN mainly made of DGEBA/PA; excessive addition of ELPB resulted in the local aggregation of ELPB/PA and phase separations. The toughening mechanism was changed from chemically forming IPN made of DGEBA/PA/ELPB to physically reinforcing DGEBA/PA by ELPB/PA with the increase in ELPB addition. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and properties of fluorinated polyimides from 1,1‐bis(4‐amino‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl)‐1‐(3,4,5‐trifluorophenyl)‐2,2,2‐trifluoroethane and various aromatic dianhydrides

A novel aromatic diamine, 1,1‐bis(4‐amino‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl)‐1‐(3,4,5‐trifluorophenyl)‐2,2,2‐trifluoroethane, containing a pendant polyfluorinated phenyl group, a trifluoromethyl group, and methyl groups ortho‐substituted to the amino groups in the structure was synthesized and characterized. The diamine was polymerized with several aromatic dianhydrides, including 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride, 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride, and 4,4′‐hexafluoroisopropylidene diphthalic anhydride, via a high‐temperature one‐step procedure to afford four polyimides (PIs) with inherent viscosities of 0.47–0.70 dL/g. The PIs exhibited excellent solubilities in a variety of organic solvents. They were soluble not only in polar aprotic solvents but in many common solvents, such as cyclopentanone, tetrahydrofuran, and even toluene at room temperature. The tough and flexible PI films cast from the PI solutions exhibited good thermal stabilities and acceptable tensile properties. The glass‐transition temperatures were in the range 312–365°C, and the 5% weight loss temperatures were all higher than 480°C in nitrogen. The films had tensile strengths in the range 76–99 MPa, tensile moduli of 2.2–2.8 GPa, and elongations at break of 5–8%. In addition, the PI films exhibited excellent transparency in the visible light region with cutoff wavelength as low as 302 nm and transmittance higher than 88% at the wavelength of 450 nm. The PI films showed low dielectric constants ranging from 2.50–2.68 and low moisture absorptions of less than 0.56%. The good combined properties of the PIs mainly resulted from the synergic effects of the different substituents. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of aromatic/cycloaliphatic poly(amide‐ imide‐imide)s from bis(4‐amino‐ 3,5‐dimethylphenyl) cycloalkane derivatives

A series of novel aromatic diamines containing cycloaliphatic moieties was synthesized by the reaction of cycloalkanones like cyclohexanone and cycloheptanone with 2,6‐dimethylaniline. The tetrimide diacid was synthesized using the prepared diamine with 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride/pyromellitic dianhydride and p‐aminobenzoic acid. The polymers were prepared by treating the tetrimide diacid with different aromatic diamines. The structures of the monomers and polymers were identified using elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The polymers show excellent solubility. The polymers are amorphous and have high optical transparency. They also show good thermal stability and their T_g value is found to be in the range 268–305 °C. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and characterization of epoxy based nanocomposites

Epoxy‐clay nanocomposites were synthesized to examine the effects of the content and type of different clays on the structure and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites. Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A (epoxy) was reinforced by 0.5–11 wt % natural (Cloisite Na⁺) and organically modified (Cloisite 30B) types of montmorillonite. SEM results showed that as the clay content increased, larger agglomerates of clay were present. Nanocomposites with Cloisite 30B exhibited better dispersion and a lower degree of agglomeration than nanocomposites with Cloisite Na⁺. X‐ray results indicated that in nanocomposites with 3 wt % Cloisite 30B, d‐spacing expanded from 18.4 Å (the initial value of the pure clay) to 38.2 Å. The glass transition temperature increased from 73°C, in the unfilled epoxy resin, to 83.5°C in the nanocomposite with 9 wt % Cloisite 30B. The tensile strength exhibited a maximum at 1 wt % modified clay loading. Addition of 0.5 wt % organically modified clay improved the impact strength of the epoxy resin by 137%; in contrast, addition of 0.5 wt % unmodified clay improved the impact strength by 72%. Tensile modulus increased with increasing clay loading in both types of nanocomposites. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1081–1086, 2005     

Effect of polyarylene ether nitriles on processing and mechanical behaviors of phthalonitrile‐epoxy copolymers and glass fiber laminated composites

A series of copolymers and glass fiber composites were successfully prepared from 2,2‐bis [4‐(3,4‐dicyanophenoxy) phenyl] propane (BAPh), epoxy resins E‐44 (EP), and polyarylene ether nitriles (PEN) with 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl sulfone as curing additive. The gelation time was shortened from 25 min to 4 min when PEN content was 0 wt % and 15 wt %, respectively. PEN could accelerate the crosslinking reaction between the phthalonitrile and epoxy. The initial decomposition temperatures (T_i) of BAPh/EP copolymers and glass fiber composites were all more than 350°C in nitrogen. The T_g of 15 wt % PEN glass fiber composites increased by 21.2°C compared with that of in comparison with BAPh/EP glass fiber composite. The flexural strength of the copolymers and glass fiber composites reached 119.8 MPa and 698.5 MPa which increased by 16.6 MPa and 127.3 MPa in comparison with BAPh/EP composite, respectively. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Poly(methyl methacrylate)–epoxy vitrimer composites

In this study, we synthesized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) epoxy vitrimer composites by doping methyl methacrylate (MMA) and benzoyl peroxide into a curing system of epoxy resin and citric acid. The vitrimer composites were characterized with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and stress‐relaxation and lap‐shear testing. The test results show that with increasing amount of MMA, the existence of PMMA in the epoxy vitrimer matrix in the form of intermiscible, slightly soluble, and phase separation became more evident. When the doping amount of PMMA reached 10–25 wt %, the bonding strength of the PMMA–epoxy vitrimer composites was about two times that of the epoxy vitrimer (from 2.3 to 4.3 MPa). This showed that the self‐healing strength of the vitrimer composites was better than that of the pure vitrimer. When the PMMA in the epoxy matrix was in a slightly soluble form, the linear PMMA improved the mechanical properties of the epoxy vitrimer by physical winding. At the same time, the doping of PMMA promoted the transesterification rate of the epoxy vitrimer and enhanced the bonding strength of the composites without lowering the epoxy vitrimer glass‐transition temperature. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46307.     

Synthesis and characterization of high‐performance epoxy resin based on disiloxane and 4,4′‐oxybis(benzoic acid) ester

Epoxy‐terminated siloxane‐contained resin (BCDS/OBBA‐ETS) with high tensile strength and lap shear strength as well as good thermal stability was synthesized and characterized by ¹H‐NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Carboxy‐capped disiloxane‐4,4′‐oxybis (benzoic acid) ester oligomer (BCDS/OBBA) was firstly prepared from the reaction between 1,3‐bis(chloromethyl)‐1,1,3,3‐tetramethyl‐disiloxane and 4,4′‐oxybis(benzoic acid) (OBBA) in N,N‐dimethylformamide in the presence of triethylamine. Then, the BCDS/OBBA oligomer was reacted with epichlorohydrin to obtain the title BCDS/OBBA‐ETS resin. Cured with liquid polyamide L‐651, or diethylenetriamine, the mechanical and thermal properties as well as the lap shear strength of the BCDS/OBBA‐ETS resin were evaluated. The results indicated that the BCDS/OBBA‐ETS resin exhibited good thermal stability below 200°C, and the glass transition temperature (T_g) was about 64°C after cured with L‐651. The tensile strength of same cured BCDS/OBBA‐ETS resin was 27.46 MPa with a stain at break of 42.11%, and the lap shear strength for bonding stainless steel was 18.59 MPa. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Thermal and mechanical characterization of epoxy resins toughened using preformed particles

Preformed, multilayer particles have been used to toughen an epoxy resin. The particles were formed by emulsion polymerization and consist of alternate glassy and rubbery layers, the outer layer having glycidyl groups to give the possibility of chemical bonding of the particles in the cured resin. Two variants of this type of particle were used, termed GM(47/15) and GM(47/37); both types have an overall diameter of 0.5 µm, but the former have a thicker rubbery layer. For comparison, acrylic toughening particles (ATP) with no surface functionality and a liquid carboxyl‐terminated butadiene–acrylonitrile (CTBN) rubber were used as toughening agents. The epoxy resin system consisted of a commercial diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (Shell Epon 828) with diamino‐3,5‐diethyl toluene as hardener, two commercial sources of which were used, namely Ethacure‐100 (Albemarle SA) and DX6509 (Shell Chemicals). These hardeners contain a mixture of two isomers, namely 2,6‐diamino‐3,5‐diethyltoluene and 2,4‐diamino‐3,5‐diethyltoluene Thermogravimetry in nitrogen shows that the preformed toughening particles begin to degrade at 230 °C, whereas the cured resin begins to degrade rapidly at 350 °C. Thus, even though the particles are less thermally stable than the cured resin, their degradation temperature is well above the glass transition temperature of the resin, and their use does not affect the thermal stability of the toughened materials at normal use temperatures. The performance of the toughening agents was compared using Ethacure‐100 as the hardener. The GM(47/15) and GM(47/37) toughening particles gave rise to a greater toughening effect than the ATP and the CTBN. For example, the fracture energies were: 0.26 kJ m^?2 for the unmodified resin; 0.60 kJ m^?2 for the resin toughened with CTBN; and 0.69 kJ m^?2 for the resin toughened with the GM(47/15) particles. The ultimate tensile stress of the unmodified epoxy resin was 43 MPa, which increased to 55 MPa when 20 wt% of GM(47/15) toughening particles were added. The toughness of resins cured with the DX6509 hardener were superior to those obtained with the Ethacure‐100 hardener, most probably due to DX6509 producing a less‐highly‐crosslinked network. This highlights the sensitivity of the toughening process to the hardener used, even for hardeners of a similar nature. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis,thermal, and dynamic mechanical properties of 1,3‐bis(diphenylsilyl)‐2,2,4,4‐tetraphenylcyclodisilazane‐containing polydimethylsiloxanes

New and effective approaches to the synthesis of 1,3‐bis(diphenylsilyl)‐2,2,4,4‐tetraphenylcyclodisilazane‐containing polydimethylsiloxanes ( P1 and P2 ) were developed. P1 was obtained by polycondensation of cyclodisilazane lithium salt and chloroterminated polydimethylsiloxane. P2 was produced by hydrosilylation of vinyl‐terminated cyclodisilazane and hydrogen‐terminated polydimethylsiloxane. The polycondensation completed quickly at room temperature, while the hydrosilylation was facile and did not require cumbersome air‐sensitive operations. P1 and P2 were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and isothermal gravimetric analysis (IGA). TGA revealed the outstanding thermal properties of P1 and P2 with 5% weight loss temperatures (T_d5) higher than 450°C. IGA proved their better thermal stability at 450°C for 800 min, compared to polydimethyldiphenylsiloxane. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that silicone rubbers made from cyclodisilazane‐containing polydimethylsiloxanes could have a maximum tan δ value as high as 1.13 and had good prospects for damping material applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Effects of epoxy content on dynamic mechanical behaviour of PEI‐toughened dicyanate–novolac epoxy blends

By varying the cyanate/epoxy ratio, three polyetherimide(PEI)‐modified bisphenol A dicyanate–novolac epoxy resin blends with different epoxy contents were prepared. The effects of epoxy content on the dynamic mechanical behaviour of those blends were investigated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The results showed that the glass transition temperature of the cyanate–epoxy network (T_g1) in the modified blend decreases with epoxy content. When the epoxy content increases, both the width of the glass transition of the cyanate–epoxy network and its peak density are depressed substantially. Although the tangent delta peak value of PEI is basically independent of epoxy content, the T_g of PEI (T_g2) decreases with epoxy content. T_g1 is independent of the PEI loading. When T_g1 is lower than T_g2, however, the T_g1 in the blend with revised phase structure is substantially lower than other blends. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable poly(ester‐urethanes) based on bacterial poly(R‐3‐hydroxybutyrate)

A series of poly(R‐3‐hydroxybutyrate)/poly(ε‐caprolactone)/1,6‐hexamethylene diisocyanate‐segmented poly(ester‐urethanes), having different compositions and different block lengths, were synthesized by one‐step solution polymerization. The molecular weight of poly(R‐3‐hydroxybutyrate)‐diol, PHB‐diol, hard segments was in the range of 2100–4400 and poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐diol, PCL‐diol, soft segments in the range of 1080–5800. The materials obtained were investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry, wide angle X‐ray diffraction and mechanical measurements. All poly(ester‐urethanes) investigated were semicrystalline with T_m varying within 126–148°C. DSC results showed that T_g are shifted to higher temperature with increasing content of PHB hard segments and decreasing molecular weight of PCL soft segments. This indicates partial compatibility of the two phases. In poly(ester‐urethanes) made from PCL soft segments of molecular weight (M_n ≥ 2200), a PCL crystalline phase, in addition to the PHB crystalline phase, was observed. As for the mechanical tensile properties of poly(ester‐urethane) cast films, it was found that the ultimate strength and the elongation at the breakpoint decrease with increasing PHB hard segment content. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 703–718, 2002     

Fabrication and characterization of soluble,high thermal,and hydrophobic polyimides based on 4‐(3,5‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐2,6‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)pyridine

A novel aromatic diamine monomer, 4‐(3,5‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐2,6‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)pyridine (DPAP) was successfully synthesized by 4′‐nitroacetophenone and 3,5‐dimethoxybenzaldehyde as raw material. The structure of DPAP was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass analysis. A series of polyimides (PIs) were obtained by polycondensation with various dianhydrides via the conventional two‐step method. These PIs showed good solubility in organic solvents. They also presented high thermal stability, the glass transition temperatures (T_g) of polymers were in the range of 325–388 °C, and the temperature at 10% weight loss was in the range of 531–572 °C. Furthermore, these polymers also exhibited outstanding hydrophobicity with the contact angles in the range of 89.1°–93.5°. Moreover, the results of wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) confirmed these polymers showed amorphous structure. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45827.     

Preparation and properties of TiO2‐filled poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene)/epoxy hybrid composites

Poly (acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) (ABS) was used to modify diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A type of epoxy resin, and the modified epoxy resin was used as the matrix for making TiO₂ reinforced nanocomposites and were cured with diaminodiphenyl sulfone for superior mechanical and thermal properties. The hybrid nanocomposites were characterized by using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA), universal testing machine (UTM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The bulk morphology was carefully analyzed by SEM and TEM and was supported by other techniques. DMA studies revealed that the DDS‐cured epoxy/ABS/TiO₂ hybrid composites systems have two T_gs corresponding to epoxy and ABS rich phases and have better load bearing capacity with the addition of TiO₂ particles. The addition of TiO₂ induces a significant increase in tensile properties, impact strength, and fracture toughness with respect to neat blend matrix. Tensile toughness reveals a twofold increase with the addition of 0.7 wt % TiO₂ filler in the blend matrix with respect to neat blend. SEM micrographs of fractured surfaces establish a synergetic effect of both ABS and TiO₂ components in the epoxy matrix. The phenomenon such us cavitation, crack path deflection, crack pinning, ductile tearing of the thermoplastic, and local plastic deformation of the matrix with some minor agglomerates of TiO₂ are observed. However, between these agglomerates, the particles are separated well and are distributed homogeneously within the polymer matrix. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Performance tuning of glass fiber/epoxy composites through interfacial modification upon integrating with dendrimer functionalized graphene oxide

In this study, glass fiber/epoxy composites were interfacially tailored by introducing polyamidoamine (PAM) dendrimer functionalized graphene oxide (GO) into epoxy matrix. Two different composites each containing varying loading fraction (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt%) of GO and GO-PAM were fabricated via hot press processing. Composites were evaluated for interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), dynamic mechanical properties and thermal conductivity. The inclusion of 1.5 wt% GO-PAM resulted ~57.3%, ~42.7%, and ~54% enhancement in ILSS, storage modulus and thermal conductivity, respectively. Almost, ~71% reduction in coefficient of thermal expansion was also observed at same GO-PAM loading. Moreover, higher glass transition temperature was observed with GO-PAM addition. GO-PAM substantially improved fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion, which was witnessed through scanning electron microscopy. The enhanced thermo-mechanical performance was attributed to interfacial covalent interactions engendered by ring opening reaction between epoxy and amine moieties of PAM dendrimers. These multiscale composites with extraordinary functional properties can outperform conventional counterparts with improved reliability and performance.